Katherine south of Darwin experienced severe monsoon flooding in January 1998. The township and surrounding areas were devastated. Local member and Deputy Chief Minister Mike Reed played an outstanding role assisted by the member for Victoria River Tim Baldwin. Local Mayor Jim Forscutt also played a critical role in supporting the efforts of the Stone CLP Government including traveling to Canberra with the Chief Minister to confront a meeting of insurers and banks, The Prime Minister's one-liner cut through - 'pay up''. The prompt arrival of Prime Minister John Howard and Mrs. Jeanet Howard during the flood greatly buoyed the locals. The ADF presence greatly assisted the resources of local volunteers and police, fire, and emergency services. The fundraising efforts of Josephine Stone as Chair of the Red Cross Appeal proved critical in providing local support for families and businesses struggling to re-establish in the town. Josephine Stone pioneered the concept of vouchers now used widely in disaster recovery. The experience gained by Chief Minister Shane Stone later led to his appointment by the Morrison Government as the federal disaster chief and defined his approach in the North QLD Monsoon disaster in 2019 - locally led, locally understood, and locally implemented. To understand the scale of the Katherine flooding the waters submerged the main bridge and highway leading into the town.